Glenorchy council may sweeten DEC deal by offering riverside land

Glenorchy City Council is considering selling Wilkinsons Point along with the Derwent Entertainment Centre, in a bid to lure a project of “real significance” to the community.

The Glenorchy City Council is considering adding WIlkinson’s Point to the DEC sale process. Picture: KELVIN BALL

GLENORCHY City Council is considering selling Wilkinsons Point along with the Derwent Entertainment Centre, in a bid to lure a project of “real significance” to the community.

In August last year Glenorchy aldermen voted unanimously to sell or lease the DEC, which is a cash drain on the council.

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A statement issued on Tuesday on behalf of the council said it was considering opening up the option to sell the point.

“Council has received expert advice suggesting such a move would greatly improve not just the prospect of a worthwhile sale, but the potential to attract a major development of real significance to the Glenorchy community,” the statement said.

“The report to be presented to council will recommend that it be a condition of any potential sale that full public access to the foreshore is maintained.

“Council has the ability to open up the option to sell Wilkinsons Point under Section 178 of the Local Government Act, which ensures any proposed sale must undergo all the normal consultative, review and appeal processes to ensure absolute transparency.”

The statement said if the council did proceed with a sale, it was committed to ensuring the purchaser was prepared to develop the precinct for the benefit of the community through better public facilities and increased entertainment options. The council will consider the possible sale at its next meeting on March 25.

The DEC costs Glenorchy City Council about $1 million a year to run. The public will be able to make submissions on the proposed sale before a decision is made.

In October, the council rejected an offer for the DEC from the Southern Huskies consortium, HydraPlay. The council unanimously agreed the HydraPlay offer was well short of what was considered acceptable for such a significant public asset.

The Mercury understands the valuer-general’s market valuation was about $4 million, while a source close to the council described the offer from HydraPlay — the group behind Tasmania’s bid for an NBL team — as the price of a quality home in Battery Point or less than half the lowest valuation made available.